An abandoned Swansea graveyard has been bought by a man who wants to protect the graves of his ancestors.

Richard Hopkins has purchased the former Babell Chapel cemetery in Cwmbwrla for £6,000 after carrying out research into his family history and finding five generations of his family were buried there under the ‘Thomas’ name.

But he said he was shocked to discover the state it was in, and decided he had to take action after reading a WalesOnline report that it was going under the hammer.

Mr Hopkins, who has since set up Babell Chapel Restoration Ltd, said: “I first came across the chapel and graveyard a year ago as part of research into family history. I was appalled by the state it was in.